UP Cong chief booked for ‘forgery’ amid row over buses for migrants

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 19

The police here on Tuesday booked Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu and the personal secretary to party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over a list of buses to ferry stranded migrant workers back to the state. Lallu, Vadra’s personal secretary Sandeep Singh and others were charged with forgery in an FIR registered at the Hazratganj police station here, an official spokesperson said.

‘Already lost 3 days’

Yogi Adityanath ji you can place BJP banners on these buses, if you wish to. You can paste your posters, but please do not reject our spirit of service. Because three days have already been lost to this political grandstanding — Priyanka Vadra, AICC general secy

The case was registered on a complaint by Road Transport Officer (RTO) RP Trivedi, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a war of words continued between the Uttar Pradesh Government and the Congress for a second day in a row today over the latter’s offer of 1,000 buses to ferry stranded migrants back to the state. The UP Government alleged that the list of 1,000 buses offered by the Congress contained registration numbers of two-wheelers and cars, fuelling a war of words between the two sides.

Rejecting the claim, the Congress said the buses were massed at the Rajasthan-Uttar Pradesh border, awaiting permission to cross over into the state’s Agra district. Congress media head Randeep Surjewala alleged that CM Yogi Adityanath was deliberately preventing the party from plying the buses. “Our buses are awaiting a nod to take migrants home but the UP CM is busy playing politics. We urge him to put a stop to this,” Surjewala said.

The Congress alleged that late yesterday night the UP government replied to the Congress request and asked for the buses to be ferried to Lucknow with fitness certificates by 10 am today. “After we wrote back saying it is illogical to ask for empty buses to be brought to Lucknow, UP authorities again responded asking us to send 500 buses each to Noida and Gautam Buddha Nagar by 12 noon today along with requisite documents. Our vehicles are now ready and we are hoping the UP CM would put politics behind and let Congress ferry the migrants,” Surjewala said.